News

TNT vs. dynamite: No, not the same thing

By Staff Mercury News

Posted:
12/26/2012 06:12:15 PM PST

Updated:
12/26/2012 06:12:15 PM PST

In Oakland, a bomb squad removed 5 pounds of long-stored TNT from a residential neighborhood on Wednesday. Better TNT than dynamite, experts say. Both are high explosives, and the terms are often used interchangeably, but they shouldn't be.

Here's a handy tip from Mentalfloss.com on how to tell the difference: "If it's a white powder found in sticks, it's dynamite. If it's a yellow crystal, it's TNT. Use this little mnemonic to remember dynamite's inventor: 'Winning a Nobel Prize would be dynamite!' The alternative, that winning would be TNT, just doesn't make any sense."